Monday, February 9, 2009

looking for a pendant

I am looking for a pendant light for my home office. About a year ago, we took down the non-operative and disgustingly ugly ceiling fan. For that same amount of time, there have been bare wires just dangling down. The abscence of a fixture has become one of those things I tend to forget about until I am prepping the house for company, and suddenly realize how ghetto it must look to outsiders.

A couple of things to consider when buying a light fixture:
Why am I lighting the space? How much light to I need?
A work space: you need the room to be well-lit in general.
A dining room: opt for mood lighting vs. task lighting.
A living room: your ceiling fixture(s) just adds to the general ambiance, while lamps and picutre lights illuminate certain zones in the room.
The kitchen: definitely go for concentrated task lighting.
Your bedroom: a pair of wall sconces might lend a flattering glow but enough provide light to read by.
The bath: overall lighting for the ceiling fixture, and concentrated light near the vanity.

Here are a couple of my faves for the office from my top online sources for style. Of course, I want to keep it as cheap as possible, but I am seeking a modern fixture to add punctuation to the space. Tell me what you think.

At $129, the highest price, is West Elm's faceted glass pendant. It lends a sort of rustic and refined element, but remains contemporary with the clear bare bulb. It only accomodates a 60 watt bulb and is about 14" in diameter.



Ikea's Leran pendant boasts nautural elements and a very modern shape. At 24" wide, it certainly would provide a great sense of scale to the office. It is $90 and can take up to 150 watts.



My most fave, and the least expensive option, is cb2's Eden Pendant. It is clean and simple, totally mod, and only $50. At about 20" in diameter, with a 100 watt capabilty, I think it would be the perfect size and provide ample illumination.


Any thougts on what look I should save up for? Here are a couple photos of my office so you can make a sound decision.

4 comments:

Lexi said...

I have to say I'd go with Ikea's Leran pendant. It seems to go with the natural colors in your office whereas the first lamp might blend in too much with the tan wall. The last one, although stunning, seems like it would stand out a lot in your room judging by the pics :)

I also love the shape of the Ikea leran pendant!

MeeMa Knows Best said...

I vote for the Eden Pendant. If you go with the white shade then you're pulling in the white from the trim. Also, if you change the whole feel of the room at some point I would think that this lamp would be easily used in another theme.

I love your home and how you've got things laid out. I do wish you were closer to help us with a few things we're looking to do. Justin and I keep coming up with ideas but both of us take so long in making decisions that we need a tie breaker!

I'm excited that you're getting back to the blog. I do find inspiration in it!

Always,
Amie

Betsy said...

thanks for the input ladies! I like elements of both of those pieces. not sure which way to go. Leran does seem like it would be most congruent with what I have going on in there at the moment. But I am so drawn to the modern simplicity of the eden!

Anonymous said...

I love the eden pendant! I especially love the diffuser - so many pendants do not have a diffuser and the bare bulb being exposed at different angles is so not attractive to me. The only thing to note is that it looks like the eden is not hard wired - on the cb2 site it says that it has a rocker switch and plugs in. I am sure that it could be remedied by an electrician, but just thought that I would point that out!

Go for the eden though despite the hurdles!